Participating in Fall OCI

Rules for Students

If you will be participating in fall on-campus interviewing,
please keep the following rules in mind:

Bring with you, to each interview, both here at the Law School and at any
follow-up ("call-back") interviews you attend, additional copies
of your resume, a copy of your writing sample, a copy
of your law school transcript, and a list of references (three is the usual
number).

Show
up for every interview for which you've signed up at least ten to fifteen minutes early. You must
give us at least three full business days notice to cancel an interview.

Wear business attire. For examples of appropriate interview attire, please visit OCPD's Pinterest Page. You should wear a conservatively-colored suit. Pantsuits for women are perfectly acceptable. If you have any questions about attire, please ask.

Send
a thank-you note after a call-back interview. Send the letter
either to the Recruiting Coordinator, asking her or him to extend your gratitude
to all the lawyers who met with you, or to whoever was most responsible for
your visit to the firm. It is also nice, although not required
(particularly with respect to very large law firms), to send a thank-you note
after on-campus screening interviews. A thank you note after an on-campus
screening interview should be addressed to the lawyer with whom you met. A
thank-you note will only hurt your chances of receiving an offer, however,
if it is poorly written or contains typographical, spelling or grammatical errors.

Familiarize
yourself with the "Principles and Standards for Law Placement and Recruitment
Activities" that have been adopted by all members of the National Association
for Law Placement (NALP), to which all law schools and many large legal employers
belong. Part III of the NALP Principles and Standards contains rules
governing the behavior of law students in the employment search process.
Part V contains the "General Standards for the Timing of Offers
and Decisions." Part V is, therefore, where you go to find
out how long any offers you receive from employers who are NALP members must
remain open, and how many offers you may hold (should you be so lucky) at
any one time. If you are a 2L who receives an offer of a summer job
from a NALP member for whom you've never worked, the general rule is
that you have 28 days from the date of the offer letter to respond, but you must acknowledge the offer within 14 days. The NALP
Principles can be found in the NALP Directory online at: www.nalpdirectory.com.

Remember your manners. Return phone calls
and reply to email messages from employers promptly. If you are no longer
interested in pursuing employment opportunities at a particular law firm,
resist the temptation to "duck" their phone calls. Be straightforward.
Give the employer the courtesy of a prompt and honest response, and thank
them for their interest in you. If you're no longer interested
in them, they'll get over it, and they won't take it personally.
They just want to know whether you're still a viable candidate.

Don't be afraid openly to discuss travel expense reimbursement
procedures when you call to schedule a callback interview. Each
employer has its own guidelines and limits with respect to travel reimbursement,
and they may vary depending on whether the interview resulted from an OCI
screening interview or a write-in application. You are responsible for
finding out these policies before you travel.

Be cognizant of your travel expenses, and try to save money
when possible. You don't want to get the reputation of being a
future "greedy associate." If you're offered a call back
in Chicago, the firm will probably
not be willing to pay for you to fly there. They will, however, probably
offer to reimburse you for mileage, if you drive, or to pay for your bus ticket.
Many employers in a given city or region are willing to share expenses with
the other employers you may be visiting in one trip. A sample NALP reimbursement request form is available here.

If you change your plans about attending a call-back interview,
let the recruiting coordinator know as soon as possible. He or she goes
to tremendous trouble organizing call-back interview schedules, and will not
appreciate it if you cancel at the last minute.

If you have an offer about to expire, but have not heard from other more desirable employers, contact those employers and talk to them about your situation. Inquire as to their timeline and reaffirm your interest. They may have an offer forthcoming and be able to move the process forward or they may be able to tell you they are declining to make an offer. In any case, you will know where you stand.

Carefully evaluate all offers. If you are fortunate enough to receive multiple offers, you may find this matrix helpful in making a decision. If you have carefully evaluated whether to accept an offer and contacted employers with which you have an outstanding application before you accept an offer, you should never be in a position where you feel compelled to rescind an accepted offer. You should not rescind an accepted offer. The legal community is small and you would be wise to avoid appearing unprofessional. Additionally, rescinding an accepted offer can affect your fellow and future Wisconsin classmates, as employers may be less likely to recruit Wisconsin students again. If you have an extraordinary circumstance (something better came along is not an extraordinary circumstance), which necessitates rescinding an accepted offer, contact OCPD so we can work with you to communicate with the employer as professionally as possible.

Remember that your behavior reflects on the
University of
Wisconsin Law School, and really
does affect the opportunities available to future UW law students.